1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a communication management feature and, more particularly, to such a feature for restricting, filtering, and/or screening incoming communications to a device.
2. Background of the Invention
Devices capable of receiving communications, such as phone calls, text messages, electronic mail, instant messaging requests, and other electronic updates and information are becoming increasingly prevalent. Such devices come in a wide variety and may be generally stationary, such as a desktop computer, TV/Set-Top box, static game console, etc., or may be easily portable, such as a smart phone, tablet computer, personal digital assistant (“PDA”), portable game console, portable media device, etc. Further, such devices may receive communications through a wide variety of wired or wireless connections, standards, or protocols, such as the Internet, an intranet, voice over internet protocol (“VOIP”), satellite, 3G, SMS, MMS, 4G, WIMAX, etc.
Generally, recipients have various options as to how they will be notified of incoming communications. Referring to phone calls, for example, the recipient can set the device to a default setting or mode that provides an audible, tactile, and/or visual indication of the incoming communication. In certain situations, such as during a meeting, school exam, religious ceremony, etc., it is generally courteous to set the device to a silent or vibrate-only default mode or to turn the device off to avoid an incoming communication causing a disruption. However, such silent and vibrate modes and the option to turn off the device are not suitable in all situations.
In one illustrative scenario, an individual, John, is about to attend a meeting but expects an important call from a client that must be answered. John joins the meeting with his cell phone turned on but set to vibrate. Within a few minutes after the meeting commences, John's cell phone vibrates and he looks to see if it is the important client call. It is not. John's cell phone continues to ring intermittently with other calls during the meeting and he is constantly checking the phone to see who is calling. With only a few minutes of the meeting left, John is feeling nervous as the cell phone battery is almost depleted and the important client call has not yet come through. In the present scenario, the inability to screen incoming communications has resulted in a highly disruptive situation even with the cell phone set to vibrate.
This inability to screen incoming communications effectively is exacerbated if other types of communications are involved besides just phone calls, for example, text messages and emails.
Consequently, there is a need for a communication management system, method, application, or feature that restricts, filters, or screens incoming communications to a device in a manner that that overcomes one or more of the above-noted deficiencies.